Lakefront Property Owners Reminded That Out-of-State Firewood is Banned in Maine

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Lakefront Property Owners Reminded That Out-of-State Firewood is Banned in Maine

Lakefront Property Owners Reminded That Out-of-State Firewood is Banned in Maine

Greet the Day on Little Sebago Lake in Gray, Maine

All week you’ve looked forward to time at your lakefront property in Maine. Visions of sitting around the campfire watching the flames change colors, eating s’mores, telling ghost stories or just chatting have floated through your head while you were at work. At last, it’s time to pack up the car–within an hour you’ll be headed north and you can’t wait. Clothing? Check. Food? Check.  Outdoor gear? Check. Flashlights? Check. Batteries? Check. Fishing Equipment? Check. Firewood? STOP right there! Put it back on the woodpile.

Untreated Out-of-State Firewood is BANNED in Maine.  The Maine Forest Service says, “Buy It Where You Burn It. Don’t Give Bugs A Free Ride.”

Bringing firewood into the state puts your lakefront property at risk. Insects that don’t belong here and have no natural enemies often reproduce quickly and spread aggressively beyond their normal biological dispersal rates. When you haul firewood from other states, you may not realize you are carrying uninvited guests with you. Remember the once-common American chestnut trees–they were wiped out by chestnut blight.

Insects or their larva may be in, on or under the bark of the wood. Diseases also live on and within wood. Wood borers, such as the Emerald Ash Borer, may look pretty, but can easily devastate the ash trees in our forests. Emerald Ash Borers were first discovered in the US in 2002 and have killed millions of ash trees since then. The larva does all the harm as they tunnel under the bark, thus destroying the tree’s ability to transport food and water. Eventually, the tree dies. The adult, though a strong flyer, only travels short distances on its own. Once you bring infested ash into the state, however, you may unknowingly cause a new infestation to an area. At this point the nearest occurrences are in Northeastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

The Asian Longhorned Beetle attacks dozens of species, especially maples, elms and willows. Presumably arriving in the US on wood pallets, the Asian Longhorned Beetle has been detected in forests in New York City, northern New Jersey, Chicago, Toronto and Massachusetts. The 2008 discovery of the outbreak in Worcester, Massachusetts caused greatest alarm. Not only is the Worcester outbreak large and well-established (estimated to have been present a decade or more before discovery [Brooks 2009]), but Worcester also is located in the midst of natural forests dominated by vulnerable maples (Haack et al. 2010).  By spring 2013, more than 3 million host trees had been surveyed and  32,100 removed because they were infested (ALB eNewsletter – March 27, 2013).

The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid has already established itself in southern coastal Maine east to Lincoln County. This tiny insect gets its name from its wooly white appearance and its host, the hemlock tree. The eggs, nymphs and adults are wrapped in a fluffy white substance that resembles wool. They suck sap from young twigs at the base of needles, defoliating the tree and causing its eventual death.

The Winter Moth  feeds primarily on hardwoods including oaks, maples, ashes, cherries, apple and blueberries. It is known to be established in several towns in Coastal Maine and may be more widespread.

The general rule of thumb is fifty miles, although closer is better to avoid  putting your property and landscape at risk. Instead, buy locally, and keep your trees safe from pests.

Suggestions from the Maine Forest Service:
•    Do not bring firewood from outside the state of Maine.
•    Buy firewood from a local source where you camp.
•    Do not transport firewood more than 50 miles, even within Maine.
•    If you’ve already transported firewood, don’t leave it or bring it home – burn it! If you can’t burn it all within 24 hours, bring it to one of these firewood disposal drop-off site:

Firewood Disposal Drop-off Sites
Maine Forest Service Offices

Augusta – Bolton Hill Facility 
2870 North Belfast Ave, Augusta: (207) 624-3700

Gray 
- 356 Shaker Road, Gray: (207) 657-3552

West Paris
 – 131 Bethel Road, West Paris: (207) 674-2442
To learn more about lakefront properties for sale on Little Sebago Lake in Gray, Maine, click on the green box above.
To learn more about the Sebago Lakes Region of Maine, click on the blog links below.
Little Sebago Lake in Windham and Gray, Maine is Big on Variety for Lakefront Owners
Sebago Lake Region, Windham, Maine: Lakefront Property Highly Valued

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